Did you even know there was a national pizza day? Neither did I. It was yesterday, February 9.

Here some details about the event:

National Pizza Day History

National Pizza Day is dedicated to appreciating pizza, a baked flatbread that is topped with tomato sauce and cheese.  Many toppings and sauces can be added to pizzas, including vegetables, meats and seafood.  Pizza was invented in Naples, Italy around the 10th century, and has since grown to become one of the most popular foods in America.  

In 1905, America’s first pizzeria, Lombardi’s, opened in New York.  Since then, pizza consumption in America has increased greatly and many pizza chains, such as Pizza Hut, Domino’s and Papa John’s have emerged. The origin of National Pizza Day is not well understood although accounts of National Pizza Day began to emerge around the 2000s. It is celebrated annually on February 9th.

National Pizza Day Facts & Quotes

• The world’s largest pizza, named Ottavia, was made on December 13, 2012 in Rome, Italy.  With a surface are of 1,261.65 m², the pizza was made by Dovilio Nardi, Andrea Mannocchi, Marco Nardi, Matteo Nardi and Matteo Giannotte.  To spread a message of good health, the pizza was made entirely gluten-free.
  
• According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2014 Food Survey report on the Consumption of Pizza, 13% of Americans consume pizza on any given day!
  
• According to a study done in 2013 by food delivery provider Foodler, 37% of North American consumers order plain cheese pizza, 52% order meat toppings and the three most ordered pizza toppings are: pepperoni, mushrooms and onions.
  
• According to gross sales earned by pizza chains, the top 5 American pizzerias are:
  1) Pizza Hut, gross sales of $13.4 Billion
  2) Domino’s, gross sales of $8.9 Billion
  3) Little Caesars, gross sales of $3.4 Billion
  4) Papa John’s, gross sales of $3.3 Billion
  5) Papa Murphy’s, gross sales of $7.85 Million